Shloka 91

अध्याय ९ — कर्णस्य प्रहारः, योधयुग्मनियोजनम्, शैनेय-कैकेययोर्युद्धविन्यासः

Devanagari script

पाण्डवाश्च स्वयं शूराः प्रत्युदीयुर्महारथा: । सृजन्त: शरवर्षाणि वारिधारा इवाम्बुदा:

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca |

pāṇḍavāś ca svayaṃ śūrāḥ pratyudīyur mahārathāḥ |

sṛjantaḥ śaravarṣāṇi vāridhārā ivāmbudāḥ ||

saṃjaya! jis samaya śūravīra mahārathī pāṇḍava pānīkī dhārā barasānevāle bādaloṃ ke samān svayaṃ hī bāṇoṃ kī vṛṣṭi karate hue āge baḍhane lage, us samaya mahān bāṇoṃ meṃ sarvaśreṣṭha divya sarpamukha bāṇ vyartha kaise ho gayā? etad me brūhi |

Translation

Вайшампаяна сказал: «Пандавы — сами герои, великие колесничие-ратники — двинулись навстречу удару, извергая ливни стрел, словно тучи, полные дождя. Санджая, когда эти доблестные Пандавы сами ринулись вперед, осыпая всё стрелами, как же вышло, что то высшее божественное оружие — “змееликий” снаряд, лучший среди великих стрел, — оказалось тщетным? Скажи мне это.»

Word by Word

• {'pāṇḍavāḥ': 'the sons of Pāṇḍu

• the Pāṇḍava brothers and their side', 'svayam': 'themselves

• on their own initiative', 'śūrāḥ': 'heroes

• brave men', 'mahārathāḥ': 'great chariot-warriors (elite fighters capable of battling many)', 'pratyudīyuḥ': 'advanced to meet

• went forth in counter-advance', 'sṛjantaḥ': 'releasing

• letting fly', 'śara': 'arrow', 'varṣa': 'rain

• shower (here: a shower of arrows)', 'śaravarṣāṇi': 'showers of arrows', 'vāridhārā': 'streams of water

• rain-currents', 'iva': 'like

• as if', 'ambudāḥ': 'clouds (literally ‘water-bearers’)', 'saṃjaya': 'Sañjaya (Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s narrator)', 'divya': 'divine

• supernatural', 'sarpamukha': 'serpent-faced

• snake-headed (a type of missile/arrow)', 'bāṇa': 'arrow

• missile', 'vyartha': 'fruitless

• failing of its intended effect', 'brūhi': 'tell

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Pāṇḍavas
• Sañjaya
• divine serpent-faced arrow (sarpamukha bāṇa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even the most formidable, ‘divine’ means in war can become ineffective when opposed by equal valor and momentum; the verse highlights the limits of weaponry and the role of circumstance (and, implicitly, destiny) amid human effort.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes the Pāṇḍavas advancing in counter-attack, releasing dense volleys of arrows like rain-clouds. He then asks Sañjaya to explain how a renowned divine serpent-faced missile—considered the best among great arrows—ended up failing to achieve its purpose.